How to Train Your Soul
by. Poisoned Scarlett
This was not how Maka expected things to go.
Summer had long past, the season wrought with not the usual rigorous training Maka expected. Instead, it was filled with Soul getting a grasp of his new human surroundings. His grasp on their language had improved, with his words sounding sharper and clearer. He had packed on some muscle from the training they did together, other times with Black Star, and he was seemingly adapting to a human life style well. But therein lied the problem, as she stared at her ceiling and wondered if wishing so hard for a dragon like Soul when she was younger had been a good idea.
She laid in bed, wide-eyed with her hands clutching her sheets to her chest. She spared a glance to her right and her eyes dropped down to the absent bundle of blankets and pillows. She hated to admit it, but she actually missed the big goof, snoring and causing havoc with the wool blankets she loaned him. He had actually shredded three of them. She had returned to her small bed hours after loaning them to him to find the blankets ripped horrifically, Soul snuggled in the middle of it innocently. She had nearly kicked him out that time; those blankets were expensive and extremely helpful during bitter winters, yet he had completely shred them with his god-forbidden talons of hands for nesting material.
She had forgotten dragons had a tendency for that—bundling up in their bedding, burying themselves beneath piles and piles of stuff for the night. Soul had the audacity to even look offended when she called him out on it! Stein had managed to calm her enough when she went to complain to him and she had been reminded numerous times of the perfectly normal habits dragons had which would, inevitably, come with Soul until he learned proper human mannerism.
Maka guessed she should not have made such a huge deal about it: now, Soul was spending his nights with Black Star and his evenings with Stein training his dragon-human and human-dragon transformations since Maka had insisted they train Soul physically before anything else. To build up his stamina, she had told Stein, so he could better handle the taxing transformations—especially during assignments. As a result, she hadn't seen much of the dragon these past few weeks and she found she missed him a lot more than she thought she would. She would always find him when she was lonely, but now she didn't even have that. Although Soul becoming human had been mystifying and extremely exciting (especially for the eager Keeper), a part of Maka hated that he was human now. Soul was a beckon for attention without anyone knowing of his transformations and often times, for example only a few hours ago, he was surrounded by someone. Be it one of the Meister's or Trainers or a village girl or boy, Maka hadn't the spirit to walk up to him when he needed as much human interaction as possible.
Stein had told her that allowing Soul to be on his own for these next few weeks would be crucial for his social development. She couldn't keep him by her side all the time, she understood that, but it still made her sour thinking about it. The Keeper had taken to making Soul his own little experiment and it did not help that Black Star had eavesdropped on their conversation and discovered of his transformation as well, taking even more of her dragons time. Stein and her papa had only allowed him to be in on their little secret because it made the fictional story of Soul being found wandering the outskirts of their village more believable. Her dragon's uniqueness was to kept an absolute secret for reasons that included avoiding possible kidnapping and assassination, among other things.
"Goodnight, Maka!"
Maka shifted, watching her papa yawn loudly and shuffle into his room. "...Goodnight, papa."
She didn't need to look to know her father was beaming at her. Maka sunk a little deeper in her bed, a prominent scowl marring her pretty face. To think she had resorted to actually communicating with her papa to reach her queue for social interaction! She usually found her dragon when she felt the need to talk or simply be with someone, but now she didn't have that. Black Star had taken up that slot and she was resentful to know that the idiot Meister would probably end up teaching Soul nothing good.
Calm down. It's like Soul said: he can think for himself. He's not stupid, Maka coached herself. In fact, Black Star can probably teach him the difference between companion love and intimate love, she sunk deeper into her sheets, glaring at the wall. If there was one thing Black Star was good at, it was getting under a woman's skirts. Was it so bad that she loathed the thought of sharing Soul? When she trained with him as a man during the summer, he still felt like hers, like it was her dragon she was coaching and encouraging and scolding. Soul was her dragon; he had been hers to train and feed and bathe and keep company all these years. But now everyone wanted their share of him and a rock always settled in her chest when she thought about what he would do now that he was a man. Given, he had always been a man, at least partly, but now he had fully transformed into one and he could very well lead the life of a man. Suddenly, Maka was not so much worried about a woman stealing him away than of him liking this human life more than the life of a warrior.
He had been happy when they trained together, they had both been content with each other, and his teasing had grown worse now that he had a voice. No more were the times where his tail would wrap around her and trip her up, now there were words; banter, arguments, debates, something she found she enjoyed so much she had come to anticipate them. But the times she had glimpsed him around the village these past few weeks, he had been happy as well. He seemed to get along splendidly with Black Star and, although Stein still made him growl, he had grown used to the Keepers strange habits and mutterings. Soul seemed content amongst her own, too; perhaps even more than around her?
He won't leave me, Maka told herself stubbornly. But her face still fell sadly and her chest still felt heavy. There were not many people who would take the dangerous life of a dragon over a human one. Soul would be exposed to all of these new things, new sensations and experiences, and he would also learn the grave dangers of being a Meister; or, in his case, of being the weapon to a Meister. He would have an option now because nothing less would be fair: to stay her dragon or to live among them as a man. Was that how it worked? Maka couldn't fathom. What if Soul really did just live as a human would? What if he got sick of her rigorous training schedule and finally did something about it? What if he got sick of her and her constant nag to get stronger, better, faster?
What if he wanted to go solo?
Suddenly, Maka didn't know her dragon as well as she thought she did.
The next day was spent as the previous few days had been spent: with Maka lounging in her home, immersing herself in literature or going over the various assignments her father had yet to release to the others. She had found a few that she was interested in, but she always soured when she remembered that she would need a dragon for it. Her sour mood had been off-set when a knock sounded on her door and she opened it to reveal Akane, a local guard.
"Akane?" Maka said, surprised. "Good morning. What brings you here?"
"Oh, a rumor or two, but mainly Stein."
"Rumor? About me?"
"Strange, ain't it?" He smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "The Chief's daughter topping the rumor mill nowadays. I heard you've been without yer precious dragon," he added, upon catching her irked look. She knew of his brutish ways, as she often spoke to Akane on her way to the training grounds. She would say she had become good friends with the saucy guard, but he still liked to test her patience. He pushed his helmet up his head enough to speak to her properly, "Stein asked me to come get you so you can care for some of the infant dragons with Kim."
"Pardon? He wants me to what, care for a hoard of dragon infants? I don't know the first thing in taking care of an infant!" Maka argued. Infant dragons were generally harmless unless you counted their very sharp talons. Maka had seen firsthand just how painful it could be, for both the victim and the baby, to remove said talons from skin, especially when the infant knew nothing outside of eating and sleeping.
"Always time to learn," Akane smiled crookedly. Maka pinked and looked away, miffed. "Well, think about it this way, someone's gotta' feed 'em!"
"This is ridiculous..."
"Go on and get yer coat," Akane nodded inside. "Stein said I could drag you out if I had to."
"Urgh. I don't understand why Stein needs me of all people! Kim has taken care of dozens on her own before," Maka grumbled as she snatched her coat off her bed, following him out nonetheless. She made sure her coat was on snugly before she walked further out into the snow-washed land.
"Bitter this morning, isn't it?" Akane said, softly. He held out a hand, watching snow flakes melt into the warmth of his palm.
Maka copied him, fisting her hand soon after and blowing hot air into it. "Mm. Hopefully this winter is not as bitter as the last."
"Rumor has it it will be worse."
"You like rumors, don't you?"
Akane shot her a cheeky look. "When you're out there from dawn to nightfall, rumors become much more interesting than watching the leaves crumble with the cold."
Maka rolled her eyes at his reason and let her sights travel through the busy village roads, seeking out a head of pure white, but was disappointed when she didn't catch even a glimpse of Soul through her trek to the keepers cages. She was even more disappointed when she realized she hadn't a clue where he was; training with Black Star? Hanging out with the warriors he'd made friends of? She didn't know and it saddened her. She managed to snap herself out of her gloom when they arrived to the keeper cages.
Akane hollered out to Kim once he was in earshot.
"Akane, there you are! Oh, Maka, you came, too!" Kim beamed, tugging off thick leather gloves. Maka noticed her apron had milk stains on it and stifled a sigh. "It's been such a long time since I've seen you around here! Stein sent Soul out on another scout mission, I hear?"
It took Maka a few seconds to remember that Kim knew nothing about how the new man in the village was actually her dragon. "Oh, yes. Yes, he sent him out far away! Really far! He'll be back in...a few days, maybe even weeks," Maka mumbled, fumbling with her chest armor while Akane and Kim exchanged wary looks.
"Well, hopefully he comes back soon. You've been lookin' a little sad recently," Kim smiled sympathetically. Maka grimaced but didn't comment. "Anyway, I've got some infants you can look after! You can go, Akane! I'll handle it from here."
"Kicking me out already? I wanted a few more minutes to enjoy your lovely company," Akane smirked and Kim smiled saucily, raising a brow at him.
"You can enjoy my company at a later time."
"You said it, not me!" Akane held his hands out with a grin and walked off with a chuckle, leaving Kim giggling and Maka sighing at their blatant flirting.
"What about Ox, Kim?"
Kim immediately soured, wiping her hands on the apron primly as she marched back inside. Maka followed closely behind her. "Ox! Ha! That fool, thinking I'd accept his proposal for marriage! How many times must I reject him before he understands he won't ever have me?"
"I don't know, how many times has he proposed to you thus far?"
"I've lost count, surprisingly," Kim muttered, handing her some elbow-length gloves and an apron. "He really should stop; he's not even from this village. He should go find himself a good woman in his own home! Here, put this on! It'll keep the milk from spraying on you and these will keep your arms safe!"
Maka slipped on the gloves first. "Milk?"
"The infants like to have fun sometimes and spit the milk back at you," Kim explained casually. She slipped on her own gloves and smiled. "The Juggernauts are really fond of that, but they're the calmest out of the hoard so I will give you the youngest twins to take care of while I feed the others!"
"Twins?" Maka inquired as she followed, peering over Kim to find a giant nesting area. It was filled with them, Maka saw with awe, little baby dragons that were no taller than her knee. The tiniest ones were kept in the middle, huddled together like a flock of birds, and the bigger ones stayed on the sides, roughhousing and releasing the cutest little noises that ranged from squeals to grunts to very high roars.
"They're so..."
Kim looked at her, hesitantly. She didn't speak to Maka much but, from what she knew, she was very stern and no-nonsense...
"They're so cute!" Maka squealed, eyes bright.
Kim beamed. Stern or not, baby dragons always managed to break down even the toughest mans walls!
"Aren't they? They are the most adorable little things in the world—yes you are, little babbyyy!" Kim cooed, picking up one of the bigger dragons from the pile. Maka smiled happily as she baby babbled to the little dragon...at least until it snorted and a plume of fire escaped its snout. Maka stared in horror as Kim giggled and bopped its upturned nose with hers.
"K-Kim!"
"What?" She asked, ignoring the second flare of fire the baby burped out.
"A-are you sure that's safe? He just blew out fire!"
"Oh, yes, it's safe! Their fire isn't that hot right now, it doesn't hurt at all!" Kim assured her although Maka still had her doubts. Kim opened the pen for Maka and gently nudged some infants out of her path. Maka squeezed past her, unsure of what to expect after that display, and Kim quickly shut the door, ensuring the lock was in place. "Be very careful when you come out of here, Maka. Sometimes the lock jams. We would not want to have any baby dragons running around these parts, now, would we? The poor things would be hunted. Their skin isn't thick enough to brave the cold, either!"
"Hunted by our men or by their own?" Maka asked softly, nudging an infant out of her way gently. It looked up at her with round, black eyes and squee'd, a sound that made Maka smile the tiniest bit.
Kim looked down at the infant as well, smile soft but sad. "A little of both, I suppose. We can't blame them too much," she knelt and poked one of the infants bulbous cheeks, earning herself a hiss. Kim smiled gently but her eyes showed sadness. "They're only protecting us from them. Not all of them are as docile as the ones we have here, some of them really do search out for human flesh to eat."
Maka grimaced but didn't comment further. The first time she saw a Flesh-Eating Mammoth live up to its name, she had doubled-over and emptied the contents of her stomach after the fight. She remembered Soul nudging his snout into her side, how he let her lean against him as she controlled her shaking hands, tried to forget the mountain of half-eaten corpses the beast had been lounging on before she arrived. It was one of the first missions they had taken together, and one of the ones that had hardened her into the warrior she was now.
"Feeding is easy," Kim told her as she handed her a skin full of milk. "Just grab a baby," she picked one up randomly, ignoring their growl. "Take the skin, fold the opening over a bit, and let them bite it. Be careful here, sometimes they like to take fingers with them," she warned, the baby satisfied now that it had something to suckle on. "Easy, right?"
"M...Mm," Maka nodded, rubbing her arm with her hand, unsure.
"I bet you'll do just fine, Maka!" Kim beamed. "C'mon, let's feed them before they get grouchy!"
The infant Juggernauts were calmer compared to the others in the nest, some of which were screeching and trying to climb up the rock walls. Maka sat on the stool by the edge, watching the majority of the dragons flock to Kim immediately when she took seat on the opposite side. The twins stayed near her and Maka was quick to feed one of them before they tried to join the others. Feeding was a strange experience for Maka; it was maternal, made her feel strange all around. But she found she rather liked it, the warm feelings of cradling a creature who would one day grow up to save lives, villages. She fed the more rambunctious twin first before placing him back on the floor, picking up the calmer one so he could suckle out of the open edge of a long skin flask. The wilder twin ran circles around Maka in the meantime, no longer wanting Kim, nibbling on the straps of her boots or playing games with the pleats of her skirt, swiping at it and releasing little grunts whenever Maka nudged back.
"Are you holding out alright?" Kim shouted eventually, smiling when Maka nodded back. She was a natural at it; she didn't understand why Maka insisted she was bad with infants. Dragon or otherwise.
Sometime between placing the more docile twin down and taking the wild one to feed it again, another dragon had made their way towards her. She hadn't noticed until the dragon picked at the loose strap of her boot, bowing away when Maka looked. The docile twin sat drowsily by her leg, using it as a sleeping post, but this new dragon gazed up at her with shining purple eyes and tiny pricks of teeth just visible from its parted mouth.
"Hello, there," Maka smiled in welcome. "What are you doing over here? Huh? Shouldn't you be with Kim?"
It gurgled in reply, a sound that squeezed out an endeared laugh from Maka. She looked up to find Kim no longer at the stool caring for the dozen of other dragons, but outside of the nesting cage. Maka could just see her busying herself with, she believed, new skins in order to feed the remaining dragons. Maka, herself, had almost run out of milk.
"Have you eaten yet, little one?" Maka asked, smiling when it squawked. It swatted her boot with its weak wing and jumped back, swatting it again with the underdeveloped ball on its tail this time. The ball would come to have spikes, Maka knew. Right now, they were only harmless nubs of bone. "Hey, wake up," Maka gently nudged the more docile twin. "Come on, I need to..." She felt a bite on her finger and she looked down to find the wild twin gnawing on the glove, jerking his head left and right in an action similar to the tearing of flesh. Barely a few months old and already a predator, Maka dryly thought. She plucked her finger from its mouth and replaced it with the skin, watching the baby suckle viciously for milk. She shuddered at the thought of what its mother would have had to face if she were still alive.
The majority of the infants in the nesting cages had either been abandoned because their mother had passed away during the harsh winter or taken on purpose. They hardly had more than a dozen orphans at a time, but Maka noticed a steady increase and worried at the number, since she knew their men hadn't purposely taken baby dragons recently. It wasn't a natural occurrence, but last winter had been one of the coldest to date...
"I'll get you some milk if you want," Maka told the playful dragon, who squawked again and tried to get her to play by swatting its tail at her boot. She removed the skin from the Juggernaut and offered it to the playful dragon, who sniffed it before going back to swatting its tail at her. "Not hungry, I guess," Maka murmured to herself and blinked when the Juggernaut snapped his jaw at the skin and continued to drink its milk happily. "Gee, you're really hungry, or are you just being a glutton?" Maka eyed the vicious Juggernaut, who ignored her and continued to suckle on the skin. "You kind of remind of Soul," she quirked a smile. "He always ate, even when he wasn't hungry...I wonder if he's eaten yet," she murmured, worried. "I should have sent a sandwich with Black Star..."
"Makaaaa!"
"Yes?" Maka jumped.
"I have a new skin set up for you and you can feed those who are still hungry!"
"Ah, you...you mean you've fed all of them already?" she asked, astounded.
"There is a reason I bring in five skins," Kim winked at her.
"Oh. Well, I think I'm done! This one just wants to play and the other Juggernaut is asleep. It's only this guy here that keeps eating."
Kim snorted when she peered at the dragon Maka cradled in her arms. "Oh, him! Once the skin is empty, don't feed him anymore! He'll just keep eating and make himself ill!" Kim gathered up some supplies from the table. "I must deliver these scrap metals to Sid, some of the guards have outgrown their armor and require a fitting. I will return soon, but if you finish feeding the Juggernaut before I do, you can leave. Just make sure the latch on the door is secure," she reminded and Maka watched her leave before turning her attention to the baby dragons who'd gone out of their comfort zone to greet her.
She didn't stay long, only long enough to finish feeding the ravenous Juggernaut. Once sated, it was a lot more amiable towards her; he even let her touch the paper-thin webbing of his wings. Not for long, however, it was quick to nip at her when she got too carried away. Maka forgot that these dragons were different than her own. These were real dragons, not hybrids, and certain actions didn't sit well with them like they did with Soul. The thought made her chest feel heavy again; if she ever had to get a new dragon, she knew they would never compare to Soul. He might not have been her first dragon, but he was the absolute best one she had ever had the honor of training.
"You guys are so cute," Maka whispered, petting one of the infants. "I wonder if Soul looked like this, too...hehe," she giggled at the thought of Soul leaping around helplessly when he was a baby. She wondered if he was born dragon, or human? How did that work? She'd have to ask him when she saw him again—but the thought made her heart fall. If she ever saw him again, he seemed to be having a riot with the others...
"I shouldn't feel so bad," Maka told the more docile Juggernaut, letting her hand run down his scaly back. He was so tiny; she could feel his bones through his skin. One day, she would not be able to feel anything but rock. "He's a dragon, but he's a human, too. I should let him be himself and...make friends, I can't be his only friend." She quirked a smile when the baby cocked his head at her. "I still want him near me, though, like during the summer. It's funny, he was so used to being a dragon that one day he forgot how much smaller he is as a human and he knocked his head on a tree!" Maka laughed, remembering that day too well. He usually slumped back against the bark of trees after training but, tired as he was, he had misjudged the distance and ended up crashing his head against the tree instead. "He's such an idiot...stupid reptile," she murmured fondly. When she looked back up to the baby, she found no sign that he had heard her; in fact, he was picking at her chest armor, looking at his reflection with fascination.
"That's right," her eyes saddened, "you don't understand, do you?"
The infant sniffed her armor and nipped at it, squalling when he hurt himself.
"Don't do that, you'll hurt yourself." She stood up, placing the baby back on the softly insulated ground.
"Stay there," Maka told them sternly, fumbling with the latch on the door. "I have to go, Kim will be back soon...no, stay," Maka nudged the more vicious Juggernaut out of the way with a warning look. The others watched curiously. "Stay—!" Maka cursed when more started to crawl closer to her, curious of the outside and, in her distraction, the Juggernaut screeched and leaped, an awkward motion that managed to get him past her. She nearly fell over in her attempt not to squash the baby, the last thing she needed was to explain to Kim that she accidentally fell on him, but managed to grab hold of one of its wings before he got away. At his pained screech, she let go, and cursed when he made an even more erratic attempt at escaping. He flew into a table, knocking over cans and manuscripts, his talons leaving shallow marks on the wood. Maka slammed the door to the nesting cage shut, locking it, and chased after the panicked baby. "Wait, stop! Don't go outside! Dammit, come back!"
Maka managed to grab his tail and clutch him to her chest, but one panicked flap of his wings and she let him go, saving herself a vicious slap to the face. For a baby, he could still pack quite a punch.
"Oh, no," Maka panted, staring at the baby who flapped out into the open, trying to pick up enough speed to fly. He only glided a few feet over the snow before he plummeted into it, disappearing from her sight. "Oh, shit."
Maka snapped out of her trance and ran after him, cursing herself for trusting a bloody dragon—a baby, to be fair! She should have known better; these dragons were not like Soul! They didn't listen to her, didn't have to! They scarcely understood what they were being told, much less if they were infants. What did she think, it would be the same? She knew it wouldn't. Soul was special, he was not like the others, why did she think they would actually listen to her?
"Dammit," Maka cursed, looking around for the infant. She couldn't see it; it was all white and the baby had no doubt sunk into the snow. She needed to find him before the snow covered up his tracks, as it was already doing. She could almost hear Kim, her frantic shout of his skin is too thin to bear the snow. Maka backtracked and headed toward the nesting cage again, looking for anything that might help her track a baby dragon. She was just about to run out and find Kim when she caught sight of the curious babies that hung around the fenced door. The docile Juggernaut was making pitched squeaks, little cries as it tried to push through the door. Twins, Maka remembered. They're siblings. He just might...
It was worth a shot.
Maka grabbed one of the chain leashes. She was careful this time, opening the door enough for her to squeeze inside. She knelt and secured the collar on the babies neck, trying not to let its cries get the better of her. Once secured, she carefully backtracked and had been about to leave when the other infant clung onto her leg, scaling it expertly until it hung off her chest.
"No, get off! I have to find his brother, dammit! Get! Off!" Maka tried peeling him off but he clung on tightly, growling when she tried harder. After a second, she sighed, and squeezed back out, quickly strapping an arm over the baby in case he tried to escape, too. Surprisingly, the baby stayed latched onto her chest, a slight purr coming from his throat. Maka collared the infant as well, expecting a fight, but it only settled on her chest sleepily. "Sleeping at a time like this?" She groaned. Such a Soul move, she sighed to herself.
Maka was torn from her thoughts when the baby Juggernaut crawled down the same way his brother went. She followed with a growing smile, hoping that he would be able to track his brother down.
Juggernauts had a keen sense of smell and, judging by his cries and squeals, he missed his brother and knew where he was hiding at.
"I hope he's okay," Maka hurried. She was being led towards the forest, she noticed, not the village. Maka's heart sank at the thought of the infant venturing too far into the forest. He would never be able to survive on his own; he was domesticated, there was no way he would be able to fend for himself. She suddenly wished Soul was there—no, she wished she had never agreed to feed some baby dragons! If she hadn't, this would have never happened! She would be home, reading a book, not frantically searching for a baby dragon who could possibly freeze to death because of her negligence!
The twin squawked, flapping his wings and growling lowly at the snow he waddled through. After a second, Maka picked him up, shushing him when he hissed and tried to wiggle free. The one that clung onto her chest hissed in reply and quickly crawled onto her back.
"Shit, don't you dare leave me, too!" Maka snapped, but the baby only clung onto her back, peering over her shoulder. He growled in warning when the Juggernaut sniffed and nipped at him. Their growls rose in pitch, clawing starting to get involved.
"Stop, no fighting! We have to find your brother, we don't have time for this!" Maka snapped and they bowed their heads, the docile twin making some clicking sounds and lunging out of her grasp. He fell to the icy floor in a sprawl of limbs and did his best to shuffle toward the forest, his clicking growing louder. Maka followed behind him, leash tight in her hand, nervous because he was certainly cold, how could he not be?, but she needed him to find his brother!
Fortunately, Maka found the mischievous dragon clicking and whining beneath a rock, his wings limp down his sides. At the sight of them, he scrambled out from beneath the shelter of the stone and the two brothers collided in a heap of wings, making Maka smile in both affection and relief.
But it did not last long.
"You," Maka loomed over the infants, narrowing her eyes at the rambunctious Juggernaut. "Are in so much trouble! GET BACK HERE! NOT YOU, TOO!"
She was sure that, although they could not understand her like Soul, they understood in their own way. "Get back hereeee!" Maka chased after the lost brother for a few seconds, cursing when she grabbed his tail but let go to avoid a scratch. She would have smashed the infant to her chest had a booming snarl not shocked her still. The snarl was enough to subdue all three babes: they did not dare to hiss, only bowed down, the lost twin scuttling close to her and his brother following in his wake, their trembling telling Maka something ugly had just found them.
She turned slowly, an escape plan already in mind, but was shocked to find not a vicious stray dragon, but Soul standing there, staring at them with irked red eyes.
"Soul?" She rasped, clearing her throat. She hastened to stand, squeaking when one of the babies nearly fell out of her arms. "That sound...was that you?"
He nodded.
"Wh-what are you doing here?"
"I was told you were helping the Caretaker," he told her, simply. "I didn't find you there, so I tracked you."
"Oh," Maka blinked, feeling rather dumb. Of course; Soul had the best nose on this side of the world. Even as a human, she supposed his sense of smell was better than most. "Y-yeah, I was! Kim needed some help with the infants, but one of them escaped. So I had to use his brother to find him and, well, this one just wanted to come with me," Maka peeked at the one that clung to her back still. She rose a brow when he yawned. "I don't know why, exactly, but he seems fond of me—ouch!" She winced when the lost brother bit her finger.
At Soul's growl, he squealed and tried to fight his way out of her grasp but she held tight this time, subduing him with one ferocious look. He bowed his head and his brother scaled her leg, watching her with wide eyes. The interloper that hung tight to her back watched the three of them with shining eyes, his excited crow making Maka flinch. He nearly blew her eardrum out! She waved her hand at him and he backed off, but Maka still felt the tip of his nose on the back of her neck.
Soul growled again, a warning for the little dragons to behave, and Maka stared for a second, her eyes tracing the faintest trace of scales that materialized on his face and down his neck. She had only seen him partially transform a few times, usually for battle against Stein or Black Star, but never out of anger. The babies squealed in unison at the sight, gathering closer but not relenting. Soul's growl deepened and he bared his lengthened teeth at them, eyes flashing a bloody red. They shrunk at the sight and Maka was surprised when they flapped off her, landing on the floor in a sprawl of wings and jumping up to gather somewhere behind her, squealing and yapping all the way.
"How...how did you do that?"
"We understand each other," was all he said and he sent the three mischievous infants a look before looking at his master. "Don't allow them to bully you like that, Maka. Infant dragons are the most difficult to care for. Which is why I hold some respect for the Caretaker."
"They're only infants; of course they'd be harder to care for!" Maka defended.
Soul wrinkled his nose. "They're not as innocent as they make themselves out to be."
"They're babies, Soul," Maka rolled her eyes and reached down to scoop the frightened dragons into her arms again. "I forgive them because they don't know better yet." They immediately clung onto her, their claws pinning onto the leather of her shirt. Soul neared to help but the way she moved, keeping a cool distance between them, made him falter. He stepped back, a shadow crossing his face as she allowed the dragons to crawl over her. One of them climbed up to her shoulder, settling in. His fists clenched when the little one glanced at him, stared, then drew closely to Maka and used her hair as a sort of cover, as if to shield himself from the vicious glare the elder dragon was sending him.
"They're a menace. I don't even know why you're bothering with them," he coolly said.
Maka scowled at his tone. "You were a menace once, too, you know!"
"I was never as difficult as them!"
Maka gave him a disbelieving look he scowled at.
"They're mixed breeds—one of 'em can spit fire and acid!"
"And will grow up to be very beneficial to our village one day," Maka sent him a warning look, "because he's able to spit fire and acid!"
"It's unnatural!"
"He's a dragon!"
"They're mixed breeds! Mixed breeds are the reason—!" He cut off when one of the babies nearly toppled off her and didn't bother to continue afterward. He did not want to reveal too much nor did he want her know of his disdain for mixed breeds. They tended to be hostile and far more dangerous than most because of their mixed genes. His father would often dispose of mixed breeds because they were filth born into pure-bred bloodlines, but then again his father held a general disdain for those out of their family.
Soul remained silent, watching her gather them up properly and start walking back to the Caretaker. He was not ignorant to the way she purposely sidestepped when he drew too close nor the way she avoided looking at him. There was something in his chest that ached and felt wretched. He touched his throat and spared another glance at his master, how she cooed at one of the dragons in her care like she had once cooed at him. His eyes dropped down to his hand, his five fingers and normal nails and human skin.
He hated it.
By the time they reached the nesting cage, Maka had managed to keep the three dragons from fighting by cooing one to sleep and allowing the other to lick the tips of her hair. The baby sneezed when some of it bothered his snout and Maka smiled. Soul rolled his eyes at them, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his winter coat.
Kim had spotted her from afar and met her halfway, a worried crease between her brows when she found her friend trying juggle three dragons on her person. She noticed Soul belatedly, but hadn't had time to properly greet him when the interloping infant detached itself from Maka and flung onto Kim excitedly.
"Maka, I thought you left? What are you doing out here? And with the Juggernauts! And this little guy, the Sky Sweeper," Kim arched a brow at the Sky Sweeper that sniffed her for food, nibbling on the edge of her apron. She held tight onto the baby. "What happened?"
"One of them escaped," Maka sheepishly admitted. "And those two followed. I needed the twin so he could sniff him out, which he thankfully did."
"She," Soul quietly interjected from behind her.
"What," Maka blinked. "She?"
Soul nodded. "They're both female. The Sky Sweeper is male."
"O-oh...Right!"
Soul rolled his eyes; she would never admit she was wrong.
Kim smiled at Soul. "Are you interested in being a Caretaker, Eater?"
"Absolutely not," he deadpanned.
"Soul," Maka hissed, low enough for Kim not to hear.
"Ah, well," Kim laughed. "I see. That's a shame. They seem to really like you."
Soul snorted derisively but remained silent upon glancing the searing look in his masters eyes. He remained silent as Kim led them back to the cages, her voice lightening as Maka recounted her little adventure with the dragons. The twin that sat on Maka's shoulder was the last to go into the cage and it had been because she stubbornly clung on, keening in panic when they tried to detach her from Maka. Kim had to pry her off Maka. Soul watched as the baby flapped her wings and tried to latch herself back onto his master. He refrained from snarling, but did growl lowly in warning when she continued to make a fuss.
"Wow, it seems she really likes you, Maka!" Kim laughed, making sure her talons didn't pierce her hand. "She's so rowdy! It's okay, baby, you can see Maka again tomorrow! Shh, shh!" Kim gently placed her back into the cage and Maka watched her crawled near the sides and keen, a guttural sound that sounded like continuous clicks.
"What's that sound she's making?"
"It's a call," Soul explained, calmly.
"Call?"
"Infants use it to call for their mother when they're lost or frightened," Kim added.
Maka blinked and looked back at the baby dragon, whose clicking had become keens. "Is it...?"
"Aww, how cute! She thinks you're her mommy, Maka, isn't that sweet? It must be because you went to save her sister!" Kim gushed, brightening at the prospect. The young ones usually bonded with her, however it wasn't rare to have one rebellious infant from the group bond with another person. "You can take care of this one until she's of-age! Or even only until your dragon returns, Maka, so you won't be so lonely all the time! I know how lonely you get when Soul is not with you!"
"I do not get lonely!" Maka replied hotly.
Kim laughed. "Yes, you do! You told me once, remember?" She lowered her voice, thinking Eater could not hear. "There's no shame in that! Sometimes I get lonely, too, when I'm away from my dragons for too long!"
Maka felt her face redden horribly, very aware of the stare she was receiving from Soul. "I...I'll see if I can drop by tomorrow."
"Good—oh, you should drop by feeding time! I'll show you where I keep the milk, and show you how to fill up the skins tomorrow!" Kim ranted, excited at the prospect of having someone to talk to during feeding time.
Soul heard Stein call for Kim first and, when the man rose his voice so it carried down the long stretch of the cavern, watched as the Caretaker quickly bid them both goodbye to assist the ever-busy Keeper. He clenched his jaw when Kim reminded Maka to drop by tomorrow to care for the Juggernaut and watched as Maka looked back at him with an uncomfortable smile and didn't do anything else. The wretchedness in his chest swelled and, before she could turn and lead the way out, he sneered:
"Are you that disgusted with me? That you can't even look me in the eye anymore?"
Maka whipped her head to him, shocked. "What?" She looked around, finding them alone, and hissed, "What are you talking about? I'm not disgusted with you!"
His eyes flashed dangerously. "You flinch away from me. You don't try to get any closer than three feet and...you haven't sought me out in days! You told me that there would be no exceptions to our training yet we haven't trained in over a week!"
"Now, wait just a moment," Maka began fiercely, eyes sparking. "I am not disgusted by you! And the only reason I have not sought you out is because Stein suggested I give you some space so you could find your bearings on your own. He thought it would be beneficial if I...if I let you learn about how our system works on your own—!"
"You dumped me with Black Star!"
"I thought you liked Black Star!"
"He's loud and he gets on my nerves. This entire village does! I can't find you, I have no idea where you are, because there are too many smells surrounding me and I've lost touch of yours," he revealed, bitterly. His head hurt from being around so many people, and Stein frustrated him more than anyone would believe. Everyone did, now that Soul thought about it. "I just wanted to be with you when I transformed. That's the only reason I did it, so I could speak to you in your language. That's why I learned it!"
Maka closed her mouth, feeling guilt swamp her. She hadn't known he felt so strongly about it and she was guilty to realize that just because Soul happened to be able to transform into a human didn't make him anymore social than he had been when he was a dragon. She thought him happy in a crowd, but failed to realize that politely detached did not mean content. Soul had always been a solitary figure and had spent the majority of his time with her; of course, she thought scathingly to herself, of course it would come as a shock to him to be separated from her so abruptly.
"I thought you liked being human," Maka told him, quietly. She looked up from her feet, allowing the trouble that had bothered her heart show for the first time. "I just...I thought you'd like being human more than a dragon and...leave."
"Leave?" Soul repeated, incredulously. "Is that really what you thought? Why would I leave you? You're my master, we're a team! You told me that!"
"Shut up!" Maka shouted, embarrassed by his sheer look of disbelief. These had been real concerns to her days ago but now they sounded silly to her, too. "I mean, you can speak now and you have a place in our society and I just thought that you'd like it better as a human than as a dragon! I mean, for one, you're free as a human while as a dragon you're technically...owned by me."
"You own me by my own choice."
Maka arched a brow at his arrogant tone. "Pardon me?"
"My kind is above that sort of servitude," he clarified at her flat look. "We can think. We can speak. We are human, but we are also dragon. We are both. So there's no need to be led around like the others. But I want you to own me," Soul continued, ignoring the flush of embarrassment at his plain words. "That's the reason I allowed you to use me like any other dragon. I am your weapon when you battle, Maka, and I don't find that degrading," he held her eyes, her impossibly green eyes and felt something else tighten his chest; an emotion that also made his tongue thick and his blood rush. "But if you don't want me anymore, tell me now."
"I..." Maka tied to push down her flush to no avail. She pointed a finger at him, brought it down and pressed a hand over her burning cheek. This was by no means a confession yet her gut still fluttered like it was one and it only served to further enrage her. So she did the only thing she could: scream. "Of course I want you to continue being my dragon, Soul! I just thought you would like it better as a human! I thought you would be happier without being dragged into battles and hurt for my cause and—!"
"I knew what I was getting myself into when I allowed you to take me back to your village," Soul cut her off. "But I stayed with you all the same. I allowed it, because there is no one else who I would want to fight alongside with than you."
Maka swallowed, the graveness in his eyes successfully pushing back her shyness. She saw he was serious and then she thought about his kind, how different it must be for them and how important something like this must be to someone who was essentially at the very top of the food chain.
"So you'll stay with me...?"
His face finally softened. "Yes."
She felt a smile curve her lips and brighten her eyes and the weight that had anchored itself to Soul's ribcage disappeared. "Alright then. I'll talk to Stein and work something out with him." She reached forward and grabbed his arm, squeezing to feel hard muscle beneath. But she still frowned. "You're getting soft. We have a lot of training ahead of us—I want you up by dawn, we're working through to the afternoon tomorrow! We have to make up for lost time!"
She didn't step back when he shifted his weight and Soul allowed a sharp grin to mar his handsome face. "Any earlier?"
"Don't try me," she warned.
Soul's fingers lightly touched the edge of her shirt, his eyes grazing over the pinpricks in the leather from the infants climbing around. Maka was talking now, a lightness to her tone that he had dearly missed. He listened as he always did, this time able to respond unlike before, and followed her when she happily trotted over to the cage that held the tiny dragons. He wrinkled his nose at the Juggernaut that crowed for her, her awkward and underdeveloped wings slapping rock as she tried to climb up.
"She must miss her mama," Maka commented sympathetically, reaching through the bars to pet her head. "I wonder—ack, what the—?" Maka's eyes rounded when she saw the familiar white tail of her dragon but, when her eyes flicked up, she was met with a very human Soul. "How did you—!?" The question stayed lodged in her throat when he wound his tail around her legs and dragged her against him, his arms wrapping around her and a rumble sounding deep in his chest. "Soul, what are you doing?! Let me go, you stupid rept—IAL! Ack, no, you'll drop me!"
"That thing just wants to use you for your milk!"
"My what? Soul, I can't breast feed, you moron!" Maka shrieked.
He snorted and grinned, his arms squeezing just below her chest tauntingly, "Not with those you can't—!" However, the comment only earned him a bone-cracking elbow to his jaw that resulted in him leaping away from her to cradle his jaw. He glared at the Juggernaut that crowed out in delight.
"ARGH! You're right! You should just turn back into a dragon and stay that way! You'd be less obnoxious! Why did you ever turn human, you're just useless as one!"
Soul snorted, doubting it. He was equally obnoxious as a dragon however he admitted he rather liked being able to press her so close to him as a human. It was easier to hold her. He hadn't found many reasons to transform aside from being close to Maka and touching Maka and speaking to Maka and being able to stay with Maka longer now that he was not thrice her size. Soul shoved his hands in his pockets and watched Maka coo down at the baby dragon, who crowed back happily. Despite himself, a tiny smile curled his lips at the sight.
"Hey, Soul?" Maka straightened, glancing shyly at him. "Do you... do you think we can fit in a quick flight or two before dinner?"
Soul grinned, revealing razor-sharp canines. "Three if you're as good as they say you are!"
Maka grinned back, fire crackling in her emerald eyes. His throat grew tight, palms sweaty. "Of course I am! Come on! Before Black Star comes to find you!" She boldly grabbed his hand when he didn't move and ran out of the Keepers dwelling, Soul hot on her heels.
Just down the stretch of hall, Stein smiled and continued to jot down his annotations on Maka's ever-elusive dragon.